Fact-finding committee fails to submit report after seven months; fresh inquiry ordered
RAWALPINDI:
In the scandal involving the transfer of more than Rs2.5 billion from the Rawalpindi Development Authority’s (RDA) official account to various companies and individuals through call deposit receipts (CDRs), the fact-finding committee constituted by the Punjab chief secretary has, after seven months, got a new probe committee formed within the RDA itself.
Earlier, an internal RDA probe committee failed to even submit its report in the mega financial scandal, while investigations by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) are still under way.
According to details, due to the absence of financial discipline in the Rawalpindi Development Authority and alleged negligence by authorities holding signing powers in financial matters, it was revealed in February 2025 that more than Rs2.5 billion had been transferred from the RDA’s official account to various companies and individuals by issuing CDRs.
The process of transferring funds through CDRs reportedly continued for six years. In connection with the case, a former Deputy Director Finance of the RDA, Junaid Taj Bhatti, allegedly committed suicide.
To ascertain facts in the scandal, the Punjab Chief Secretary constituted a fact-finding committee on May 29, 2025, under the convenership of Mudassar Waheed Malik, Member Taxes, Board of Revenue Punjab. Other members included Muazzam Iqbal Sapra, Madiha Tahir Shah (ASA&H) and Director General RDA Kanza Murtaza.
However, after failing to issue its report for seven months, a meeting was held in Lahore the other day in which the RDA DG, director administration and other officers appeared. The meeting decided to once again constitute a new probe committee with instructions to submit its report within one week.
The newly formed probe committee will comprise the RDA director finance, deputy director finance, assistant director finance-I and deputy director engineering.
It may be recalled that earlier, RDA DG had constituted another probe committee under the headship of Director Estate Management RDA Shehzad Nasir Gondal to investigate the release of security deposits in this matter, but that committee also failed to submit its report to the RDA DG.
Meanwhile, the final report of proceedings under way in NAB regarding this financial scandal has yet to surface.
However, an RDA employee, Raja Jahangir, has been released after entering into a plea bargain in the case, while a private individual, Jamal Bhatti, remains in jail after the rejection of his bail.
